Yesterday i was driving hubby to the station for work when i spotted a really sad sight. A local owner was out walking his dog possibly before going off for a days work. Lovely you might think, but not for this poor dog.
This dog was on a short lead being dragged along at quite a pace, stopping was not permitted during this mission to quickly and efficiently get from A to B whilst his owner stared intently at the phone in his hand.
Who exactly is a dog walk for? who benefits? what is its purpose?
For the dog it may be the highlight of their day, that burst of freedom from the confines of the four walls of home. As humans we control their environment and their access to the outside world, so why cant we allow their walks to be more about what they want/need?
The dog i witnessed was desperate to stop and ‘smell the roses’, to mooch and to wander, to just take in the scents and sounds it was surrounded by. Instead he was being pulled along on an involuntary journey, a tick box exercise possibly before his owner leaves him home alone for the day?
Take a moment to think about it……….who exactly decided that walking our dogs is what we do? it wasnt the dogs choice thats for sure? at what evolutionary point did we decide to stick a lead on our dogs and march them around? dont get me wrong, dogs love being out and about but if you ever take the time to watch dogs you soon notice that given the choice they dont go for ‘walks’, they go to sniff, roll, play, mooch, spend time with their humans, socialise and in some cases just sit and watch. They are all individuals just as we are. And its not just dogs who are set to benefit, research shows that regular dog walking can have huge mental and physical benefits for their owners as well.
If that walk in the morning is all our dogs are going to get before being left alone for a period of time then why not build the walk around what is most rewarding for them. Here are some ways you can enhance your dogs walk;
1) Worry less about the distance covered and more about the journey and experience.
2) Put the phone away and turn the music off.
3) Enjoy living in the moment.
4) Take in the surroundings, notice the sights, smells and sounds around you.
5) Allow your dog to stop and sniff.
6) Mix it up a bit, change directions, locations and times.
7) Interact with your dog- train them, play, reward, enjoy them!